The Journy app promises to plan your dream trip for $15 a day

You surprised your significant other with a weekend trip right after the holidays.

Just the two of you in a beautiful boutique hotel, surrounded by glamorous shopping, a nearby ancient city filled with restaurants, and the sounds of a crackling fireplace to keep you warm.

Except the hotel turns out to be riddled with termites and every restaurant you walk into is a tourist trap.

That all could have been avoided if you had access to an awesome travel concierge to tell you exactly what hotels, restaurants, activities and neighborhoods you should go to, and who would take care of all the bookings. You know, the type of concierge that caters to you if you have a luxury credit card or at least tons of time to talk on the phone to explain your preferences.

Now, Journy aims to provide that same kind of service through an iOS app and website at a price point of $15 per day of your trip.

Co-founders Leiti Hsu and Susan Ho tell Mashable the idea for the business came when Susan took a last-minute trip to Buenos Aires. She spent most of her time figuring out how to find her way out of the tourist traps where she constantly found herself.

Hsu says, "It was crazy how as an internet-savvy person who took the time to research and plan, she couldn’t find the local authentic experiences she was craving, and even still, why wasn’t there a solution that was trustworthy that didn’t cost thousands of dollars?"

Image: Facebook

Journy currently plans trips in over 50 worldwide cities, with Tokyo being the most popular international destination "by far." Each trip is planned by Journy's travel concierges. They communicate with the traveler after said traveler completes a short digital form detailing what the ideal trip should entail.

The travel concierges are chosen by having a combination of travel knowledge, street smarts and "empathy towards the traveler" (read: not booking a couple the honeymoon suite in a hotel best known for raucous spring break getaways).

Many traditional travel agents don't charge the client on the front end for booking trips, whereas Journy does. However, Hsu says, "Millennials[...] prefer transparency — knowing that Journy makes its money on $15/day of travel and has your best interests in mind. We'll never partner with restaurants, activities and attractions because we always want to be agnostic—and these choices are so nuanced and personal." She emphasizes the combination of technology and personal attention to detail blends the best of traditional travel planning with new digital travel tools.

Hsu says the ideal Journy client is a millennial who, "will stay in a centrally located well-priced private room in a hostel and then be able to enjoy a quick walk to Noma and save up that cash for the tasting menu with full beverage pairing because: YOLO."

Here's how Mashable's experience with Journy went down.

Cons:

No Droid app

If you have a Droid, you're out of luck and will have to use Journy's website. The site has a clear and simple interface, but it's not always as convenient as planning on the fly from your phone.

No family option (not optimized for families with young kids or groups of more than five)

This isn't a downside for everyone, but it would be incredible to have this service geared towards planning a family vacation that doesn't include any cartoon mice or mandatory family therapy upon return.

Additional charges add up if you change your mind

When you receive your original itinerary, you may send back as many changes as you like and the concierge will provide one round of edits for free. However, after that round of edits, there is an additional $15 charge for each full round of edits after that. If you totally want to redo a vacation day with a day trip to the countryside, that'll cost ya. If you don't like your experience, however, the company does offer a money-back guarantee on the website. Additionally, changing up a restaurant reservation here or there is free of charge.

Pros:

Website is easy to use

This can't be overstated. The interface is clean, intuitive and simple.

No shaming on what you like to do

You might be the type of person who loves historical walking tours and spending all day in antiquarian museums and bookshops. Or you might prefer to go shopping in fun boutiques punctuated by many bakery respites. Whatever your pleasure, Journy offers options to choose from like spas, tours and historical buildings. You don't have to feel judged if you care more about cannabis cafes than the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Asked important questions about what you do or don't like about activities

Sure, you can look up great restaurants and cool exhibits on your own. But Journy asks you what you want to get out of those adventures. It tailors your itinerary to your personal preferences like outdoor dining, hole in the wall restaurants or even specific neighborhoods

Obtained difficult reservations at prime times

This was the most exciting part of the itinerary. The travel concierge was able to nab a prime reservation at one of NYC's most lauded hot spots. Reservations at any time are notoriously difficult to obtain, and this wasn't a 4:30 p.m. dinner. This was a 7:15 p.m. over the holiday season dinner reservation. This reservation was worth the initial Journy fee in and of itself.

Image: facebook

Large range of areas and pricing

This isn't a service that caters exclusively to the uber-wealthy. There is a range of hotel prices, restaurant categories, and activities. Small, less pricey neighborhoods and even alternatives to traditional hotels are suggested if that's what the budget and travel interests suggest.

Communicative concierge

The concierge we worked with was excellent. She was quick to answer questions and provide suggestions. She offered to book the hotel for us (if you book your hotel with Journy concierge, you sometimes get perks like late check-out or continental breakfast) but wasn't pushy when we said we preferred to book it personally. She sent gentle reminder emails about confirming plans and was tuned into the type of restaurants and activities we wanted. This is a concierge service you would expect from a high-level credit card.

The Verdict

Journy is fun, functional and provides personalized trip concierge service to which you might not otherwise have access. Though it's not perfect, it's a fun and very personal gift for a friend or family member who's planning a special trip.

It's also an indulgent gift to yourself so you can spend your time getting your passport in order instead of praying the Yelp reviews for that amazing place aren't all shills.

Now all you have to do is figure out a way to get the time off to actually take the vacation.

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